Rail-joint.



Patented lan. 9, 1900.

F. LOTT.

RAIL JOINT'.

Application filed July 15, 1899.)

(No Model.)

sys

TE 'ETES FFICE.,

PATENT 4RAIL-mitm".

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,128, dated January 9, 1900.

Application led July l 5 l 8 9 9.

To @ZZ w/tom it may concern:

4 Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH LOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pearl City, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Rail-Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to rail-joints, and has for its object to provide a simple, durable, and efficient device for securing the bolts which connect the lish-plates of a rail-joint.

By means of the improved construction all of the bolts'adjacent to the rail-joint may be quickly secured without the aid of nuts and in a manner which will eectually guard against the loosening of the bolts and the con-v sequent displacement of the ends of the rails and the derailment of cars. Should any loosening of the fastening devices occur, itis the work of an instant to tighten vup the parts, thus enabling a road-bed to be maintained in a safe condition at a minimum expense'.

The detailed objects and advantages of the invention will appearin the course of the subjoined description.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described, illustrated in the drawings, and incorporated in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the adjoining ends of two rail-sections with the improved fastening device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal horizontal section through the parts, taken in line with the securing-bolts. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the inner wedge-bar looking toward the outer face thereof. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the outer wedge-bar. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the holding-plate, and Fig. G is a detail perspective view of one of the bolts.

Similar numerals of reference designate corL responding parts in all the views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 designate the adjoining ends of two rails provided with the usual bolt-receiving openings 3 and having applied to each side thereof fish-plates saai No. 723,930. (No model.)

iaprovided with correspondingly-locatedopen ings to receive the bolts 5 in the usual manner.

` Each of the bolts 5 is provided with a head 6 and is threadless, being cut away on opposite sides to form recesses 7 with parallel dat surfaces terminating in shoulders 8 near the eX= tremity of the bolt.

The inner wedge-bar (indicated at 9) tapers gradually from one end to the other and is provided with a series of keyhole-slots 10, one slot being provided for each bolt, and comprising a narrow longitudinal portion 11, terminating in an enlarged circular opening 12, approximating the size of the bolts, the longitudinal portion 11 being slightly greater in width than the tickness of the bolt at the point where the recesses 7 occur. The wedge; bar 9 is provided in its inner face and near its thin end with a series of notches 13, having one inclined side and one side which extends V transversely of the wedge-bar, thereby form= opposite end of the spring is fastened rigidly at 20 to the outer surface of the bar 15. It will now be apparent that as the outer wedge-bar is slid longitudinally along the inner wedge-bar the point of the dog or latch will travel over the teeth or shoulders 14 of the inner wedge-v bar and when the parts are driven up tightly neither one of thewedge-bars can move back ward, so as to permit of the loosening of the bolts 5. After the bolts have been placed in position the inner wedge-bar is passed over the ends of the bolts, the bolts passing through the-enlarged ends 12 of the slots 10. The bar 9 is now moved longitudinally, so as to engage t-he narrow portions 11 of the slots 10 with the fiat faces 7 of the bolts. The outer wedge-bar 15 is now applied to the bolts in the same manner and moved longitudinally in the opposite direction, so as to engage the IOO narrow portions of the slots in the reduced parts of the bolts, and during this operation the shoulders 8 of the bolts are brought to bear firmly against the outer surface of the bar 15 on opposite'sides of the slots 16. In the relative movements of the bars 9 and 15 the dog 18 successively engages the shoulders 14, and after the outer wedge-bar has been driven up tightly it is prevented from moving backward in a manner readily understood.

When for any reason it is desirable to loosen or take out the bolts, a chisel or pointed instrument is inserted under the free end of the spring 19 and the dog 18 disengaged from the notches 13, which will of course allow the outer wedge-bar to be moved longitudinally, thus permitting the reverse operation of that performed in tightening up the parts. It has been found in practice that there is a tendency for the bolts to jam in tightening or loosening the wedge-bars, and in order to obviate this difficulty I have provided what may be termed a spacing-plate 21, provided with a series of openings 22, corresponding to the location of the bolts 5. This plate is provided centrally with a handle 23 for convenience in operation. After the wedge-bars have been applied to the bolt-s the spacing-plate is also applied over the ends of the bolts and held while a blow is imparted to the thick end of the outer wedge-bar 15. The plate thus holds the free ends of the bolts at equal distances apart and prevents the canting of one or more of the bolts independently of the rest, which, as above stated, would interfere materially with driving the wedges to place or loosening the same. When the wedge-plates have been properly secured, as described, the spacingplate is removed for use elsewhere.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rail-joint, the combination with a series of shouldered bolts, of a pair of wedgebars provided with keyhole-slots, the slots of one bar being disposed reversely to those of the other bar, and means carried by one bar adapted to automatically engage the other bar for locking the two bars against relative longitudinal movement, substantially as described.

2. ln a rail-joint, the combination with shouldered bolts, of apair of wedge-bars having reversely-disposed keyhole-slots for engagement with the bolts, one of said bars having a longitudinal series of teeth or shoulders, and a spring-actuated dog or latch carried by the other bar and adapted to automatically engage said teeth or shoulders to prevent relative longitudinal movement of the wedge-bars.

3. In a rail-joint, the combination with shouldered bolts, of a pair of wedge-bars having reversely-disposed keyhole-slots, one of said bars being provided with a longitudinal series of teeth or shoulders, a leaf-spring connected at one end to the other wedge-bar, and a dog or latch carried by the free end of said spring and adapted to engage the teeth or shoulders on the other wedge-bar, substantially as described.

4. In a rail-joint, the combination with shouldered bolts, of -a pair of wedge-bars having reversely-disposed keyhole-slots, one of said `bars having a longitudinal series of teeth or shoulders, a leaf-spring secured to the other wedge-bar, and a dog or latch connected to the free end of said spring and working through a transverse opening in said wedgebar and adapted to successively engage the teeth on the other Wedge-bar, substantially as described.

5. In a rail-joint, the combination with shouldered bolts, of a pair of wedge-bars having reversely-disposed keyhole-slots,the inner wedge-barhaving alongitudinal series of teeth or shoulders and the other wedge-bar a transverse opening in line with said teeth or shoulders, a leaf-spring fastened at one end to the outer surface of the outer wedge-bar, and a dog or latch connected to said spring near its free end and workin g through said transverse opening and engaging the teeth on the inner wedge-bar, the free extremity of the spring being adapted to be moved outward by the insertion of an instrument between it and the outer face of the wedge-bar, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRIEDRICH LOT'I.

Witnesses:

J. I-I. KNAPP, HURY LoTT.

IOO 

